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NPC Personalities
This is a bunch of NPC personalities (not stat blocks!). Most of them originally appeared on a 101 NPCs thread on Mongoose's Conan board, thanks to everyone who posted there! They can be adapted to any swords & sorcery setting. Mercenaries Dionna - 4th level Colladi mercenary Soldier (Fighter, Str 14 Dex 18, lonbow spec) Background: The last of five daughters born to a Colladi archery champion, Dionna begged her father to teach her the ways of the longbow. Having no sons, the old warrior finally relented and discovered that his daughter possessed a talent with the bow that rivalled his own. She won several archery competitions and finally managed to earn herself a place as a scout in the Archduke's army. Her uncanny marksmanship gradually allowed her to earn the respect of her peers, but a tragedy cut short her career as a soldier. A massive Sorgani barbarian incursion from the Sorganzorro slaughtered most of her unit and before the savages were turned back, they razed her village and butchered her family. Haunted by visions of her father's head rotting on a spear point, she went East and found a place with the free companies. Her youthful optimism drowned in a sea of blood, she is a grim and humorless sort now, laughing rarely and drinking often. Shukeli - 4th level Nubian mercenary soldier (Fighter, Warspear spec) Background: As a youth, Shukeli was taken by Khemite slavers and put on the blocks in Port Khemi. A Marrakeen merchant took notice of the powerful-looking savage and bought him, intending to use him as a porter. Shukeli had other plans, however, and escaped from the caravan, having first broken the neck of his new master. Fleeing across the desert, he happened upon a unit of the Free Companies marching to Doskan. The skirmishers tried to capture him, but he made such a good accounting of himself in the fight that followed that the mercenary captain offered him a place in the Company. Now a grim and experienced sergeant, Shukeli has found fulfilment in his new life, though he has not forgotten the ways of his savage homeland and follows the savage Dekerta. Thieves Soraya - 5th level Turkoman Thief (Rogue, 2 Weapon Combat and Improved 2 Weapon Combat. 2 Short blades.) Background: Soraya is a proud and indomitable woman, as beautiful as she is deadly. At the age of fifteen, she was forced to marry a man more than three times her age. On her wedding night, the marriage was consummated forcibly by her grizzled Turkoman husband, but he failed to break her will, or her lust for vengeance. She slit his throat in his sleep with his own knife and fled north on his finest steed. Having vanished amongst the fleshpots of Imarr & Colladel, she discovered that the gifts of stealth given to her by her forefathers had made her well suited for the thieving profession. An experienced and vicious woman who creeps like a cat and fights like a demon, many have underestimated her to their peril. City Guard Lt Ken-Amun - 5th level Nubian Soldier (Fighter, War Club, Str 18 Dex 16) Background: Ken-Amun is a huge, muscular officer in the Endhome army. Resentful of the primitive barbarism of his jungle homeland, he travelled to Endhome and offered his services as a warrior. Though advancement has been difficult for him, his immense strength and martial talents have distinguished him in battle. He remains eager to prove himself and hopes to command his own army one day. Sgt. Temuchin - 3rd level Mongali Soldier (Fighter, Point Blank Shot and Rapid Shot, comp longbow) Background: Temuchin commands a troop of Endhome soldiers. A grim disciplinarian, he is revolted by the lawlessness in the city. A good ally for law-abiding characters...a ruthless enemy to outlaws. Aristocrats Lady Li-Rung - 4th level Veridoran Noble (Aristocrat 3/Sorc 1) Background: Li-Rung is the spoiled young daughter of a rich Veridoran merchant based in Endhome. Sensual, mischievous and manipulative, she often slips out of her father's home (or seduces the guards) and finds herself carousing in some of the most unlikely places. She often gets into trouble, but has, so far, managed to charm her way out of jeopardy. A lusty lass, she shamelessly pursues any man who strikes her fancy, but is also jealous and vindictive, using her rudimentary powers to curse any man who shuns her. Lady Isobel: Exp-3, female, 32, 5'6" tall. The noble lady Isobel is somewhat taller than average, she has a tanned complexion, dark brown eyes that show her considerable strength of will, and lustrous chestnut-brown hair that falls loose to her shoulders. She is attractive with a curvaceous figure, with rounded hips, narrow waist and a full bosom. Despite her privileged background she is clearly more than a pampered aristocrat, and Isobel displays an authoritative air even in the most trying of circumstances. Lady Octavia: Exp-2, female, 42, 5'3". Octavia, Ana's aunt, is a short and somewhat stocky Endhome matron, olive complexioned with brown eyes and dark brown hair curled in a tight bun. She has a determined and somewhat bossy demeanour, with a maternal attitude to younger women. Lady Ana: Exp-1, female, 18, 5'4". An upper-class Argossean girl, Ana is very pretty with shoulder-length blonde hair, large brown eyes, a snub nose, fair-complexioned and slim but with an impressively gravity-defying bosom. Nervous and not very bright. "Lady" Maria: Exp-3, female, 27, 5'7". A buxom, raven-haired courtesan (in the true sense) of the Endhome aristocracy, Maria always has a saucy glint in her eye and appears to take almost all events with equal equanimity, unperturbed by danger. Maria clearly is someone who always keeps her eye out for any available opportunity... Lord Alonzo delAlprosio of Doskan: Ari-3, male, 30, 5'6". Black-haired, thin, with a foppish, arrogant look and petulant, whiney tone, Lord Alonzo the Doskani is an unlikable, spoiled dandy with an exaggerated sense of his own importance. Media - 2nd level Doskani Aristocrat-2, Stealthy feat, Hide - 7 Move Silently - 7, Str 9 Dex 14 Background: A stunning beauty of seventeen, sporting shimmering blonde hair (a rarity in Doskan), Media is the daughter of a powerful Imarran baron and Doskani mother. She was given in marriage to the baron's senior knight in return for his decades of loyal service. Though her husband was a kind man, she couldn't bear lying with a man old enough to be her grandfather. She stole away in the night, took a horse, rode north into the mountains, and was promptly captured by hobgoblin slavers. An evil barbarian priest noticed her on the auction block and bought her, intending to sacrifice her at the next Blood Moon. Subjected to twisted cruelty and desperate to escape, she is the stereotypical damsel in distress that needs rescuing. She wants to return home, but might be inclined to travel with her rescuer, should he be a handsome fellow. Roxanna - 5th level Aristocrat, Dex 18, Melee Weapon to +8 (Finesse), Weapon Focus Poinard, Combat Expertise, Steely Gaze. Also, wears no Armor and has Gather Info 10 Background: Roxanna is the bored wife of an Imarran merchant in Endhome. Lusty, graceful and utterly gorgeous, she often roams the streets, playing the role of a high-priced whore. After being harshly abused by a client, she resolved to become trained in the arts of combat. Hiring the best knife fighter in the city, she displayed a remarkable talent for the art and now commands a decent amount of respect, even in the slums. Her various clients include some of the most feared cut-throats in the city (she has a weakness for bad men) and she can be an excellent source of information, provided you please her enough to gain her favor. Harming or threatening her is a bad idea. Not only is she a respectable fighter, she also has allies amongst the underworld. Tavern-Keepers Balech the Bloodletter - 6th level Thief (Rogue, comp Longbow prof - Movement reduced to 15 ft.) Background: Balech spent the first forty years of his life slaying and thieving. A cold, merciless killer with inhumanly sharp reflexes, Balech was at the top of his game when he suffered a crippling injury while leaping out of window in the temple of Ksarul in Imarr. He has since retired and established a tavern called the Fang in Endhome. Though his mood has grown more jovial and he walks with a limp, he is still a very dangerous man and few cause trouble in his establishment. Ottokar -aka Eats Ravens (Lvl 6 Ranger) Ottokar was never popular in his Colladi home village. The fact is that he was ugly,plain and simple. The village girls laughed at him and the young men made sport of his imperfections. Thus it was that whilst his peers trained in the traditional styles of pike warfare Ottokar spent his time alone in the forested hills and valleys honing his skill as a woodsman. By the time of the campaign, river many times to trap for pelts. It was on one such occasion that he fell foul of a raiding party of Raven clan Sorgani. They fell upon him with wild whoops expecting to collect an easy head for their lodgepoles. Years of pent up anger exploded and in a short bloody melee he dispatched them all ,finally biting out the throat of their leader after lodging his axe in anothers skull. Athawaya,war chief of the South Hawks was mightily impressed as he watched the borderer slip into unconsciousness. Ottokar woke to find himself being tended in the South Hawk village. The Hawks had been tracking the Raven raiders for days and they had named him "Eats Ravens" in honour of the feat they had just witnessed. In a savage ritual Ottokar became blood brother to Athawaya and friend to the Onyaga (South Hawks).Afterwards Athawaya joked in broken common that Ottokar's head was much to ugly to hang on a Hawk lodge pole in any case. For the first time since his childhood Ottokar laughed. Living amongst the Onyaga he found that they respected his skill and prowess. Despite his appearance he found a little Sorgani wife,no beauty to be sure,but an angel to a man who had never known the touch of a woman. Travelling to Endhome he opened a trading post and tavern with the coin he made from the rich pelts he brought back from the Black river country. Yet despite his return to civilization his sympathies would continue to lie with his adopted kin in the swamps beyond the mountains. Merchants & Scouts Deirdre the Raven - 4th level Sorgani Fighter-4, Str 16, Dex 14, Int 12 Climb 6 Diplomacy 5 Background: A strong young lass who lived near the Imperial border, Deirdre possessed an insatiable curiosity regarding the Imperial stockade which lay on a nearby hilltop. She crept up to the fort and was discovered by an Imperial sergeant named Athgar. Instead of attacking him, she implored him for more information about the shining kingdom to the south. Impressed and intrigued, he allowed her to visit on regular occasions and the two spent long nights talking, and, in time, loving. Deirdre's family discovered her indiscretions and the clan attacked the outpost. Athgar and his men fought well, though, and the Sorgani were repulsed. Incensed at her people, Deidre turned her back on them and married Athgar. The two later left the army and became travelling arms merchants. Still young, Deidre has benefited from her husband's training and is becoming a talented warrior. Her black eyes and tresses have earned her the nickname of "Raven". Athgar - 6th level Sorgani Soldier (Fighter-6 Int 12 Diplomacy-7) Background: For the first ten years of his life after reaching manhood, Athgar was content to serve in the armies of Imarr as a simple Pikeman. All of this changed when an inquisitive young barbarian named Deirdre came to his camp. Strong, exotic, wild and beautiful, she captured his heart from the moment he laid eyes on her. After driving off her clan in a fierce battle, Athgar resolved never to spill the blood of Deidre's family again. He married his lass and became a wandering arms merchant. Nine years older than Deirdre, he is far more formidable than she, but he recognizes a warrior's talent in her wiry limbs and has trained her in the arts of war. Sociable and fun-loving, he has an engaging personality and his burning love for Deidre is apparent to all who meet him. Asoka - 6th level Nubian Julite Ranger (Weapon Focus - Tulwar. Also, uses Comp Long Bow and Light Lance) Background: Asoka was a scout and tracker in service to a Marakeen merchant house. Unfortunately, he unwittingly led an entire caravan into an ambush. Most of the caravan were slaughtered, but Asoka's fighting skills and horsemanship helped him to save Geeta, his employer's youngest daughter who was being transported to a strategic marriage in Julah. He returned the noble beauty to her father after a week's journey, having fallen in love with her along the way. Asoka's lord was grateful for the safe return of his daughter, but could not forgive Asoka's incompetence. Having endured fifty lashes upon his bare back, Asoka was banished from Marrak. Asoka now works as a merchants' scout in the north. Geeta is in the harem of a Julite noble Lord Kosika, and Asoka, a hopeless romantic, is struggling with an ill-advised urge to return south and carry her off. Maishach of the House of Bailaam - 8th level Aristocrat Background: Maishach runs the Endhome guildhouse of the Bailaam family - a powerful Marrakeen merchant house. A nephew of the current guild patriarch, he once plotted to seize control of the guild but was foiled by a spy in his harem. Though his uncle did not want the bad publicity of killing his own nephew, he did exile him to far off Endhome with strict orders to keep the business running smoothly. Maishach hates this cold northern city and his plotting continues unabated. He is secreting away guild funds to hire a mercenary army and also paying local bandits to prey on rival trade houses. A ruthless man with a violent temper, he would make a good recurring villain. Pirates/Sailors Khalid the Falcon - 7th level Marrakeen Pirate (Ftr-4/Rog-3, Cleave and Leadership) Background: Khalid is a notorious, far-travelled pirate prince. Unlike many warriors, he prefers to approach his targets while they are unaware and steal their goods and women once he's robbed them. A ferocious and cunning warrior, Khalid also possesses an engaging personality, jovial sense of humor and a barbarian's code of honor. He will not abuse female captives, though many have voluntarily shared his cabin. His men are a diverse and motley bunch, but they follow him loyally and do not question his orders. Magno - 2nd level Southsea Islander Pirate (Rogue, 14 Int) Background: Exiled from his tribe for killing the chief's youngest son in a hunting accident, Magno was captured while wandering on the coast by a Doskani pirate/trading galley. The captain intended to use him as a slave, but was impressed by the youth's intelligence and willingness to learn. Magno is now a full-fledged member of the crew, possessing the skills of a sailor, ruthless savagery, and the keen curiosity that distinguishes him from others of his kind. Can be found at wharfside taverns. Shipmaster Crewdas: Exp-4, male, 46, 5'5". A veteran sailor of Imarr, Crewdas is short, of medium build, brown-eyed, balding but otherwise nondescript. He has a jovial air combined with a steely glint to his eye that hints at more than a normal strength of character. Odin Firebeard - 5th level Norse Pirate (Rogue-1/Fighter 4 16 Str, 16 Con 14 Dex - HP 40) Background: Odin is the son of a Norse mercenary who served in the army of Marrak. Though he has never seen his bleak, snow-covered homeland, he follows the gods of Trafalgis and never liked the rigid, inflexible laws of Marrak. He joined a pirate crew in the Cyklades, and now serves as the quartermaster of a pirate galley called the Black Joke. A jovial carouser, he is popular with the crew and is eager to command a vessel of his own. Rogues Aldur - 2nd level Rogue-2, Improved Unarmed Combat, Con 16 Str 16 Dex 12 Intimidate 7 Background: Aldur is a young Imgarter thug in service to a local crime boss. Tall and imposing like many of his race, he can usually cow people into submission without a fight, but his vicious blood-lust often leads him to abuse those who appear weaker than him. His duties usually involve the collection of protection money. He's gruff, arrogant, generally surly and has been lucky enough to avoid a fight with a formidable warrior, though this might change when he crosses the PCs. Sha'Kosi - 6th level Rogue Str 18 Profession (sailor) 7, Improved Dodge. Uses Warspear (d10) instead of Arming Sword and wears no armor. Background: Sha'Kosi was a young Nubian pirate who made a truly awful decision...he stole his fellow pirates' swag...more than once. Finally, his shipmates caught him red-handed, bound him with stout cord and cast him below decks while they debated on the most horrific way to kill him. But the powerful tribesman managed to break his bonds with a Herculean effort, rushed out of the hold and dove into the sea before his startled shipmates could stop him. Fortunately for him, the ship was just off the coast and he managed to swim ashore. Sha'Kosi has since wandered from town to town, making a passable living off of stolen goods, trying to come to terms with his new life amidst civilized peoples. In spite of his impressive strength and fighting skills, he is cautious and cagy, staying in the shadows as much as possible. Mabaku - 3rd level Dafari Nubian Rogue Str 16 and uses Masterwork Warclub (d10) w weapon focus. Wears no armor, Hide 8 Move Silent 8. Background: Mabuku is a twisted individual, even by Darfari Nubian standards. A stealthy and skilled manhunter, he has sapped and devoured at least two dozen victims. His success has earned him a high position among the followers of Yog, and he now leads a hunting pack of a score of bloodthirsty Dafari cannibals in the docks area. Even more disturbing is the fact that some local crime bosses have started contracting his band for high-profile hits. Mabuku takes pleasure in the terror he creates, and sometimes keeps his victims alive for a few hours (especially women) before he eats them. This is the kind of low-level villain that PCs love to kill. Enjoy him while he lasts! Category:Fluff